A WoW Addiction Test

For most people who play World of Warcraft, WoW is a pleasant escape to the daily hum-drum of eating, working, and sleeping. For most gamers who play a moderate amount of WoW their gaming habit is not harmful. However, many people get into serious trouble because they develop an obsessive addiction to WoW.

This short assessment will help you determine if you might have a problem with WoW Addiction. (This questionnaire is adopted from the "CAGE" questionnaire used to identify alcohol addiction. “CAGE” is an acronym formed by taking the first letter of key words from each of the following questions.)

Let’s begin the assessment. Answer the following yes and no questions:

Have you ever felt you should cut down on your WoW playing?

Have people annoyed you by criticizing your WoW playing?

Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your WoW playing?

Have you ever played WoW first thing in the morning (as an “eye opener”) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

Count up your yes answers. A WoW Addiction Test Score (WATS) greater than 2 may indicate that you have a WoW Addiction. If you have a score of 1 or 0, then you are less likely to be addicted WoW.

Is the WoW Addiction Test Score Valid?
Though CAGE was originally designed to screen for alcoholism, it has been applied to other addictive substances. CAGE is considered a validated screening technique in alcoholism, with one study determining that CAGE test scores >=2 had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 76% for the identification of problem drinkers. (1) A similar scientific study will need to be done before the WATS can be considered valid, but for now it’s a start. Please help us fight unhealthy WoW addiction by leaving us some feedback below!

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Wowaholics anonymous is a volunteer-run service that was originally created by Inspire Center, LLC (2008-2010) and is now operated by an anonymous group of do-gooders. This information is not a substitute for your health professional’s care. Please seek medical attention for further assistance.